The present invention relates to sewing machines in general, and more particularly to improvements in sewing machines which can be used for continuous or intermittent stitching.
It is already known to construct a sewing machine, e.g., a household zig-zag sewing machine, in such a way that the machine can be used for ordinary continuous stitching or for the making of intermittent stitches. Presently known sewing machines of the just outlined character are complex and prevent the user from properly manipulating the material to be sewn. This is due to the fact that the operator must use one hand to arrest the machine upon completion of a stitch so that only the other hand is available for holding and guiding the material which is being sewn. The problem is aggravated when the operator wishes to sew curved pieces of material because such operation necessitates a highly accurate guidance of the material. Another drawback of presently known sewing machines for continuous and intermittent stitching is their high initial and maintenance cost as well as that the position of the needle in idle position of the main shaft cannot be determined with a requisite degree of accuracy and reproducibility. This is the reason that the majority of presently sold household sewing machines do not embody the continuous and intermittent stitching features.